MOTOR-CYCLING

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 112, 2 August 1927, Page 11

MOTOR-CYCLING

NEWS AND NOTES WORLD TOUR PROGRESSES. Just over 11 months ago two British 1 riders set out on what has proved to be the greatest adventure in the annals j of motor-cycle history. Their aim was j to encircle the world with the aid of j two British side-car outfits in order to ; prove that British motor-cycles are j worthy of their reputation of being the j finest in the world. This Bri.tish trade mission has been j backed by all the resources of the great ' Birmingham Small Arms Company and ! the importance of the expedition to the whole British motor-cycle industry has been realised by the Government Departments concerned witli our overseas trade and considerable support has been afforded the scheme by the Foreign Oflice and the Department of Overseas Trade . The machines chosen to represent the British motor-cycle industry in this great project and test of reliability are colonial models of the 9.86 h.p. B.S.A. In the selection of the two riders to uudeitake this great trade mission it was necessary to choose two men of considerable experience, and Mr J. F. Castley, of the staff of “Motor Cycle,” and Mr B. H. Cathrick, of the B.S.A. Company, were ultimately chosen. The expedition left the Royal Automobile Club, London, on August 30, 1926, and embarked at Newhavcn for Dieppe. Paris was reached on September 1. The route crossed France diagonally from north-east to south-west and Spain was entered at San Sebastian. The riders travelled the length of Portugal, passing through Oporto and Lisbon ; tnen Spain was re-entered, and at Seville the route turned north to Madrid. From the capital the route crossed the Sierras and then dropped dow'n to Barcelona and re-entered France. The Riviera was reached in early October, and from Marseilles the B.S.A.’s followed the coast to Genoa. Next Milan, then Trieste and Italy was left behind for the 550-m.le pilgrimage to Bohemian Prague. Five days after entering Prague the little British expedition was due at Vienna, and Budapest on October 31; from the twin capitals of Hungary the Danube route was followed through Belgrade and Sofia to Constantinople. Here, on November 20, finished the European —the least important—section of the world tour. After crossing into Asia Minor the riders were faced with 650 miles of extraordinary difficulty, terminating at Alexandrelta. A further distance of 350 miles had then to he covered before the expedition entered the Holy City ol Jerusalem. After this the towns on the route became more and more widely spaced. A precarious journey w«s made across the vast sands of -the Syrian desert to Baghdad. Teheran, Persia’s capital, was eight days’ distant from Bagdad. The route after Bagdad w;a cut by a mountain range “peaking” 15,000 feet, but fortunately the intrepid riders found it was not necessary to climb much more than 6000 feet to cross this range. From Teheran under tilt shadow of the Elburz mountains the j route went south through Yezd, in the foot hills. Quetta, in Northern Baluchistan, was the first point reached ir India, and the expedition then made fo* the coast, passing through Karachi, tin port of tlie fertile Punjab, on January 26, 1927. Bombay, another 1200 miles, was made on February 16. The next section of the route consisted of cross ing India to Calcutta, a distance ol 1140 miles. Here it was necessary to make a sea voyage to Penang, as the seaboard of the Bay of Bengal and tin coast of Burma are almost impend rable. From Penang a pleasant run waj made over the splendidly engineerec roads of the Malay Peninsula to Singapore. Another sea voyage was broken at Batavia (Java) on April 26, and from Sourabaya, 540 miles away at the other end of the island, another steamer was taken to Fremantle, Western Australia. The riders then crossed the Commonwealth by way of Perth, Adelaide, Ballarat, Melbourne, and Sydney, and at the time of writing purposed leaving the last-named city for New Zealand on July 29. New Zealand is fo he given thorough attention: visits will he paid to Invercargill, Dunedin. Christchurch, Wellington and* Auckland, and just a year after leaving Paris the riders hope to embark at Auckland for Valparaiso, South America. From this port they will begin the 820 miles trip across the continent to Buenos Ayres. The monthly meeting of the Sports Motor-Cycle Club will be held at the Chamber of Commerce this evening. Members of the Sports Motor-Cycle Club are reminded of the 225-relia-bility trial and endurance test to take place next Saturday week. This is open to members of kindred clubs. Several prizes are offered, and a record entry is expected. 1927 JUNIOR T.T. RESULTS 1. P. W. Dixon (H.R.D.), 3hr 55m 545, 67.19 m.p.h. (1926 winner: A. Bennett, Velocette, 66.70 m.p.h.). 2. FI. J. Willis (Velocette). 4h 4m 395, 64.7 S m.p.h. (1926 second: J. H. Simpson, A.J.S., 63.90 m.p.h.). 3. J. H. Simpson (A.J.S.), 4h 6m 225, 64.3 m.p.h. (1926 third: W. L. Handley, Rex-Acme, 63.38 m.p.h.). Fastest Lap. W. L. Handley (RexAcme), 32m 445, 69.18 m.p.h. (1926 fastest lap: A. Bennett, Velocette, 65.75 m.p.h.).